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Community health needs assessments are being used by a majority of hospitals to assess population health needs. The process uses quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and analyze data to understand health within a specific community.

Once completed, community health needs assessment data informs hospital and community decisions about how to approach community health problems, and develop, implement, and evaluate improvement plans.

HAP has produced an interactive state map to help outline life expectancy growth trends from 1980-2014.

Affordable Care Act Requirements

Hospitals often work with other community organizations that have shared goals when undertaking a community health needs assessment.

Hospitals must adopt plans to meet the health needs identified, make the plans available to the public, and measure the success of the plans. For tax years beginning after March 23, 2012, hospitals must describe on their Form 990 how they are addressing these needs.

If they can’t meet certain needs, they must explain why. Any hospital that fails to meet the Affordable Care Act requirements for community health needs assessments is subject to a $50,000 excise tax.

Multi-facility/Regional Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA)

During the fall of 2017, after receiving multiple inquiries from members about the next round of Affordable Care Act required CHNAs, HAP issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to select vendors to facilitate multi-facility and/or regional CHNAs. In such an initiative, neighboring hospitals in close proximity or having overlapping service areas, could work with a vendor to meet the core requirements around data collection, focus group interviews, surveys, and data analysis, which are necessary for creating a cost conscious, comprehensive CHNA. The RFP identifies member discount pricing and previous experience with creating collaborative CHNAs as core requirements.

Following review of the RFP responses, HAP has selected two vendors that best meet our criteria—Baker Tilly and Tripp Umbach.

In addition to these firms’ significant experience in designing collaborative CHNAs, both organizations have offices in Pennsylvania.

To learn more about how this type of CHNA may benefit your organization, please contact the following representatives to set up an introductory call:

Internal Revenue Service Requirements

The Affordable Care Act implements the needs assessment requirement through changes in the Internal Revenue Code. The Internal Revenue Service's Schedule H form and instructions address how not-for-profit hospitals report community health needs assessment activities on their Form 990. Additionally, Schedule H, Part V, incorporates the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(r) as contained in the Affordable Care Act.

Addressing Food Insecurity

Collaborative Opportunities to Advance Community Health (COACH) is an initiative sponsored by The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania that brings together hospital/health system, public health, and community partners to address community health needs in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Facilitated by the Health Care Improvement Foundation since its September 2015 launch, COACH has provided a structure for participants to explore collaborative implementation strategies as hospitals/health systems complete the current round of community health needs assessments and implementation plans mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

COACH participants have been working toward consensus on shared strategy(ies) for collective adoption and inclusion in implementation plans that were submitted during November 2016.

Through a structured process, COACH participants have prioritized strategies addressing healthy food access and access to care/services in order to promote chronic disease prevention and management. These key facts demonstrate the relationship between food insecurity and health and health care.

Resources

Community Health Needs Assessment Resources

The Affordable Care Act
requires tax-exempt hospitals to complete community health needs assessments at
least once every three years and to adopt implementation strategies to meet the
needs identified. This requirement is effective during tax years beginning
after March 23, 2012, and is subject to a penalty of a $50,000 excise tax for
failure to comply.

Listed below are
resources to assist hospitals and health systems with meeting the community
health needs assessment requirement.

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